Cassandra
by Tori-Colour-Bastia
Summary: At Whammy's High School in Akiera, Near gets beat up almost weekly by Mello, but a new girl, Color, saves his life. She seems perfect, but what connection does she have to a mysterious string of murders plaguing Akiera? Rated T for blood and violence
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

_Cassandra_

_**I promised you this story before the end of the year, so here it is! :D**_

A rush of knives and fabric as the black-cloaked killer zeroed in on her first victim. She drew a needle from the folds of her cloak and pushed it into her victim's neck, the lethal fluid killing him instantly.

Cassandra, the plague of Akiera took care in removing any possible evidence, cleaning all the areas forensics specialists check most often, along with wiping all fingerprints from the scene like her mentor, Beyond had taught her.

Now came her favorite part: carving her name into every inch of the victim's skin. "Cassandra." A name that sent shivers down the spine. The name shared by a woman cursed by her love with the ability to know all. Once she was finished, she licked the blade clean, took her needle, and fled the crime scene never to return. Job well done, Cassandra, another job finished with ease and grace.

_**I know it's only half a page, but the next chapter will be coming ahead of schedule, I promise.**_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_Near_

_**This took longer to post than I thought it would. Anyway, here's Chapter 2, which is at least twice as long as Chapter 1.**_

"Hey kid!" a blonde boy screamed from behind a half-eaten chocolate bar.

Although the aforementioned perpetrator was a boy, it was highly debatable by anyone watching the scene. He wore skintight leather pants, leather biker boots, and a leather shirt (if you could call it that) that hardly traced his rib cage. That, paired with a small body type and chin-length blonde hair made him one of the most extreme definitions of Bishonen the world would ever know.

The white-haired boy the Bishonen had screamed at looked behind him, straight into the chocoholic's icy blue eyes, which reflected his sheer hatred of the albino.

Why me? the white-haired boy thought.

It was out on the campus of a public high school, Wammy's High. The albino had been quite literally backed into a corner by the blonde Bishonen.

"Near, I'm going to finish what I started before I got detention. It's all your fault!" the blonde screamed.

"It's not my fault I did better on that test with you," Near muttered under his breath.

The blonde gritted his teeth and swung a steel-toed boot at Near's head. The albino dodged, but it was a miss. He could feel the air flow from the boy's boot.

"That's it, Near, I'm going to kill you!" the boy screamed.

This exclamation was followed by more kicks and near misses (pardon the pun). Finally, Near misjudged the distance between the blonde's boot and his head and received a crippling kick to the neck. Near let out a cry.

"Mello" was all Near was able to choke out and even that word was smothered by coughs.

Mello grabbed Near's shirt and threw the pale boy against the wall.

Mello's best friend, Matt walked into the courtyard. He had only recently dyed his chocolate hair bright red (in fact, that's what he had been doing in the bathroom while Near and Mello fought it out) and was wearing a convict striped shirt, tight jeans, and a faux fur vest. Along with a crucifix that matched Mello's hung around his neck.

"Mello! Calm down! Don't kill him!" he screamed at his blonde friend.

Mello looked back at Matt for a moment and then back to Near.

"Mello, can't you at least tell me what I did?" Near asked.

"You already know, Near," Mello growled.

The blond pushed Near into the wall and moved his hand. Mello punched Near's nose, spreading blood down the front of his shirt. Near's blood was spilled onto Mello's knuckles.

_**So, that's it! I'll be posting new chappies every Saturday, so stay tuned! Oh, and HAPPY BELATED NEW YEAR!**_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_Color_

_**Sorry this is a day late, I haven't been able to get near a normal computer. For those of you wondering, I most often use my iPhone as I don't own a personal laptop. I'm sorry for the inconvenience.**  
><em>

A young girl sat on one of the picnic benches texting on her cell phone and listening to the commotion. She watched the fight through black eyes with bags from an all-nighter the night before. She lowered the cell phone from her eyes and walk over to Matt.

In the light, her hair shone a ruddy caramel and her side bangs framed the left side of her face. She was very pale due to a love of anime. She wore a shirt that draped over one shoulder and tight blue jeans that squeezed her inner thighs and the backs of her knees when she walked.

"Aren't you going to do anything about this?" she asked him.

"Oh, you must be the new girl, Color," Matt replied, "Let me explain something to you: there's five tests each month. The scores for these tests are posted on a billboard in the main lobby. Every month Mello comes in second and Near first and every month this happens."

"And no one's going to try to stop it?" Color asked.

"Welcome to Whammy's," Matt shrugged.

"I can't stand by and see him beat up like this."

Color stood up and got between Near and Mello.

"Stop it! You're going to kill him!"

Mello started to let go of Near's shirt and the white-haired boy dropped to the ground.

"You got lucky this time," Mello growled.

Mello strode away with his best friend at his side. Matt's face showed what seemed to be a shadow of a smile.

"Are you okay?" Color asked, crouching down to his level.

"I think he broke my nose," Near complained, messaging his crooked nose.

"Do you need a doctor?"

Near shook his head. "I'll be fine."

He twisted his nose back into place with a deafening crack. His hands were bloody.

"Thanks for that," the albino boy said, starting to stand up as he picked up his backpack (which he had abandoned at the sight of Mello.)

"No problem."

Neat looked up at her with wide, innocent, grey eyes. "You have no idea how much that meant to me. No one's ever even asked me if I was okay, not to mention throw themselves in Mello's way and offer to get me a doctor. Sometimes I just feel like nobody cares."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_Cassandra_

_**I apologize in advance for the shortness of this chapter. Cassandra's sequences are hard to write without becoming straight up redundant.**_

Cassandra donned her hood and clipped her knife and a newly refilled lethal needle into her belt. The letter B showed up on the computer on her table.

"Cassandra, it's Beyond," the synthetic voice greeted.

Cassandra often wondered why he used that voice filter when he had seen her countless times in person.

"Beyond, are you here for idle chitchat or to give me my new assignment?" she asked.

"You new assignment is Bennett Wayne. He is staying in the Best Western down the block. His room is 603."

"I hear you Beyond. I won't fail you."

Cassandra set out for the businessman at the hotel in question. She knew all hotel maids had master keys on their uniforms. She could corner one into the closet and slit their throat. A necessary casualty as the client would understand... No! What was she thinking? All she needed to do was kick down the door. How hard could it be?

Steel-toed boots proved helpful in this as they minimized shock on her toes and added an extra umph to the blow, so she was able to knock the vital screws off the hinges.

The man had been watching TV when he caught a glimpse of Cassandra. She made quick work of drugging the victim and following a similar procedure as before with the cleaning and carving. After licking the blood off her blade, Cassandra pocketed the needle and the knife and left in a flash.

_**Not to sound desperate or anything, but I would deeply appreciate a review. I want to know what you think is going to happen, what you don't like already, what you hate, what I should fix, etc. It would make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!**_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Color

_**It's a Friday and that means y'all get 2 chappies this week. Yay! For the record, I never intended for Chapter 4 to be the last chapter. I have all 14 chapters pre-planned out and written on my iPhone, but I'm willing to tweak it a little. All my love and thank yous go to my reviewers:**_

_**Twilight-fen**_

_**Near0218**_

_**Water-Merit**_

_**xGrellSutcliffx**_

_**torixx3**_

_**I feel so loved! 3 I'm sorry if I didn't PM you and thank you personally, I don't have an excuse, just laziness.**_

Color caught up to Near in the hall after math class.

"Hey Near! I was wondering if you'd like to study together. I'm sick of my C average and with you being so good and all..." Color babbled.

"I'd love to," the albino replied.

"Great, here's my address," she responded, holding out a slip of notebook paper. Near pale fingers closed around it.

After school, Near met Color at her apartment on the east side of town. After a bit if studying, the duo decided to have a break over cake.

Near dug his fork into the desert. "Color, I was wondering, would you consider yourself my f-friend?" Near stuttered a little over that last word like he was unfamiliar with the concept of friendship.

Color gulped down some of the fluffy strawberry-flavored desert. "Yes. I think you're the first friend I made in this town."

Near smiled. "I've never had a friend before. I think it's because of Mello, bit it's not my fault he always comes in second."

Color looked at him quizzically.

"Mello doesn't hate me as a person, but he can't stand the fact that I'm constantly beating him at everything. I'm sure if he were on top, he wouldn't hate me," Near shoveled a large amount of his dessert into his mouth, "Like that's ever going to happen."

"Why don't you just do worse on the test?" Color asked from behind strawberry heavan.

"No. I want to get into a good college. Besides, it's almost my senior year. I'm strong. I can take it."

Color shook her head. "No, according to Matt his beatings are getting substantially worse every month. His guess is that, if this continues, you'll be dead by the next semester."

Near sighed. "I honestly don't know what to do. I mean, no one other than you has befriended me and even then you're no match against Mells."

Color stared at the crumbs on her plate. "I know, but I feel next month will be different."

Near exhaled. "I hope it's a good different."

Color smiled. "Me too."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_Near_

_**Sorry this update came a few days late, I was at my friends Bat Mitzvah and then my mom made me get my ass in gear all Sunday…**_

_**By the way, my friend and I may be thinking of turning this and my upcoming fic, Shattered into two different mangas. She's going to do the drawing and the plot will be the same, I'll explain more later as we figure it out.**_

_**Please enjoy your next installment of Cassandra.**_

Near stepped into his house.

"L, I'm home!" he called to his older brother.

The older teen raced down the stairs to see his brother.

L was pretty memorable, which was probably why he never showed his face. He had grey eyes like his brother, but they were outfitted with permanent dark bags due to all the nights spent awake at his computer. He sat strangely in his chair and it was quite noticeable in his posture. L's black hair had the look of not being brushed in ages.

"Near! Where were you?" he asked.

"I was at a friend's house. The new girl, Color," Near explained.

"When did Color move in?"

"About two weeks ago. Why?"

"That's around the time Cassandra's killings started. Isn't that curious?"

"L, she's not Cassandra!"

"Say that all you wish, Near, but it is strange."

Near glared daggers at his brother before racing past him to his room.

He flopped down, almost completely camouflaged in the white sheets. He sunk his face into the snowy pillowcase and breathed in the smell of the scented fabric softener.

No, there was no way Color would be Cassandra. He couldn't imagine her harming another living creature. It was impossible that a girl as pure as Color would be someone as cruel as Cassandra. He burrowed his head even deeper into his pillow. If he loved a serial killer... No, he refused to believe it. There was no way Color was Cassandra, right? The evidence did point to yes...


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

_Color_

_**Short chapter. Short short short, but we're halway through the story! Yay! I need to learn to elongate my chappies.**_

Near ran up to Color in the hall.

"Color, you said we were friends, right?"

The brunette pushed her cacao bangs out of her face and nodded.

"There's something I need to tell you," Near stated so flatly he sounded fairly emotionless.

Color's black eyes widened. "What is it?" she asked tentatively.

"Have you heard of Cassandra?"

The girl nodded.

"Well, my brother, L, is the detective assigned to the case. He's a good detective and recently got out of college and I just want you to know that he suspects you. For this I'm sorry. It's my fault. I shouldn't have told him about you," Near admitted. "If you don't want to be around me any more, I completely understand."

Color put her hand on the albino's shoulder. "I don't care if you're Cassandra herself, I'll never want to leave you."

Near looked at her with innocent eyes. "Do you really mean that?"

Color pressed her lips to Near's in a lasting kiss. She didn't even need to vocalize her answer.

It's funny how love works like that.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

_Cassandra_

_**Happy Groundhog day! Savor this update, as weekday updates are rare. I'm so glad I got this up and I hope you like the new chapter (it's a short one AGAIN!)**_

Cassandra sat in her hangout. It was nights like this that bored her. Her laptop bleeped.

"Hello Cassandra," Beyond's synthetic voice greeted.

"You're late, Beyond," Cassandra hissed at her mentor.

"My apologies. The police were after me again," Beyond explained.

Cassandra gave a nod. She knew Beyond was easy to find because he was so easily tracked. She had to stop seeing him after she officially went into business. Career killing is no cakewalk. Evidence is easy to gather and it's quite easy to identify a killer. One slip up could cost both Beyond and Cassandra their jobs.

But that was unimportant at the moment.

"Your new target is Rebecca Wence."

Cassandra filled her needle and grabbed her knife and set out to execute her plan.

Rebecca lived alone in a remote house on the outskirts of town. It was too easy.

As usual, Cassandra kicked down the door and approached the girl, who had fallen asleep on the bed of her second floor room. She pushed the needle into her victim's neck as the poison killed the woman. Afterwards, Cassandra followed her usual ritual that not only identified that she had done the crime, but also prevented her from being caught.

Cassandra opened Rebecca's front door and felt the wind on her face. As she ran through the streets of the town, her hood started to slip off. It was only for a split second, but it revealed the following: brown hair with a reddish tint, black eyes, and twin trails of blood running down from the corners of her mouth.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

_Near_

_**Woah, I'm just on a roll this week. That's two chapters in one week and possibly one more tomorrow!**_

_**I was on my Traffic stats and noticed that this story alone had over 100 views. Thank you to everyone who has read this. There's only five more chappies to go, so stick with me.**_

"L!" an ecstatic voice screamed from the other side of the video chat, "We have footage of Cassandra!"

"Matsuda, can you show it to me?" L asked.

"Sure."

A security camera footage showed Cassandra in hooded attire. The hood slipped down to reveal a girl Near's age.

"Near!" L called, "Do you know this girl?"

Near slid into his brother's room with a bagel with salmon and looked over at the screen. "Oh yeah, that's Color."

"Near, I don't know how to say this to you, but your girlfriend is Cassandra."

Near shook his head. "No. No! Color would never kill anyone!"

L put a hand on the albino's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Tears started forming in Near's grey eyes. "I can't believe Color would do such a thing." Salty tears streamed down his face.

L took his brother in his arms. "I can't believe it either."

"No, there has to be another way. What if I could prove her innocent?"

"The evidence is solid. I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do to stop it. You really don't deserve this. First your father, then mom, now this. I'm sorry, Nate."

The two boys were really only half brothers sharing the same mother. L's father, Michael Lawliet, was their mother's first husband and the two went through a divorce. Near's father, Carmen River, had disappeared shortly after he was born. After their mother died in a car crash, L had taken custody of his nine-year-old brother at the age of eighteen. By this time, his detective career was already on a good path.

_**I couldn't help but give Matsuda a bit of a cameo in this chapter. He's awesome! ^_^**_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

_Near_

_**Dear Lord Kira, I need to post longer chappies. Expect another one soon!**  
><em>

Near raced out of the English room, to his locker, and charged at Color.

Grey eyes met black ones as Near put his hands on the girl's shoulders.

"Look, Color I know who you are."

Color shot him a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"I know you're Cassandra."

Color shook her head vigorously. "You're wrong."

A nearby door slammed down. A policeman stood on the other side with a megaphone. "Tori 'Color' Bastia, we have you surrounded!"

One of the officers, Matsuda, put handcuffs on her wrists and escorted her out of the school.

"Near! Help me!" she called.

Near stood shell shock at the sight of his best friend being toted away in chains.

"I'll find a way to prove your innocence, Color!" Near called.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

_Near_

_**Another short chapter, but I find myself completely loving this scene! I'm posting 2 chapters today to make up for the weeks I have abandoned you. I'm so sorry! I'll explain in the author's note for chapter 12.**_

Near approached Color's holding cell.

"Color! You're not Cassandra! You have D.I.D!"

Cassandra let out a demonic laugh. "Great deduction, but there's a small hole, it's not Dissociative Identity Disorder, it's demonic possession."

Near drew back.

"You see, my last host committed suicide to stop my bloodlust, so I possessed your girlfriend right before she moved here. She's very strong, but when she looses consciousness, I take over. Every time she falls asleep it's my playground. Beyond taught me how to be a good murderer and I was living out my destiny up until that damn breeze blew back my hood! Now all who tried to catch me will pay. And you, Near, you will be the first!"

With inhuman strength, Cassandra bent the bars and set herself free. Near drew back, ready to run, but Cassandra shook her head vigorously and Color took over.

"Near!" she screamed, gently placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Color. I'm sorry. It's not your fault."

"I know. I knew something was up. Every time I woke up, I felt fatigued, like I had been up all night. I could taste the blood she licked off her knife still in my mouth. I could here her whisper in my ear. Now I know. I'm sorry you got dragged into this."

"No! I can't let them lock you up!" Near protested.

"Near, I'm never going to see you again, for your own safety. If Cassandra gets out if control like that again, she'll kill you."

Near blinked back tears. "Just let me kiss you one last time."

_**Where could I go from here? To chapter 13 and finally… the epilogue! *Gasps* Expect this the get the "complete sticker, since I'm on break.**_


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 13

_Near_

_**I'm so sorry this was such a late update! I had so much stuff to do and school exploded and my parents decided to smoke me out of the house over the weekend and I had a ton of homework and a couple projects! I'm soooo sorry!**_

_**This is a weekday update because mi maestro de Espaňol finally decided to give my class a break. Whew! *Wipes brow with relief* Anyway, Cassandra's almost over, but Shattered is taking a while to come out because my mangaka is really slow (and busy) and I want the written portion and the manga to come out simultaneously. For those of you who are interested, it will be published on DeviantART and our username (and pseudonym) is AyumuTenshi, which is spelled with the kanji for "dream", "walk", and "angel." It's also a guy's name, even though we're both girls. O.o**_

_**Now, without further drablings on about my personal life, I now present the second to last chapter of Cassandra.**_

A few months after Color had pled guilty to all 19 murders, the test results were in. As usual, Mello had come second to Near.

After school in the courtyard, Mello approached Near. He took no time in shoving him down and kicking him black and blue. After that, the Bishonen took him by the throat and started to choke the albino.

Matt was shocked. He ran over to his friend.

"Mello! You're going to kill him!" he screamed.

Mello didn't respond.

I have to do something, Matt thought. He slapped the insides on Mello's elbows and forced him to drop the boy. Near landed hard and Mello walked off, the chains of his boots clinking with each stride.

Matt reached out a well-gamed hand. It met Near's pale one and he gently pulled him back to the standing position.

"Thank you, Matt," the white boy stated, brushing the dust off his shirt.

"No problem. Want to come to the arcade with me after school tomorrow?"

Near nodded, picking up his backpack, smiling to himself. Color had been right: this time was different.

_**Please feel free to review! I love all my readers and I understand why you aren't pressing the review button. I too am someone who prefers to review a completed story. It's almost done and I would be honored to have another review. I LOVE YOU GUYS! 3**_


	13. Epilogue

Epilogue

_Near_

_**So, this is it. The final chapter to Cassandra. I know it follows the trends set by other chapters (it's short), but I hope you liked the (surprisingly difficult to write) ending**_.

Near never quite knew what happened to Color until senior year.

Near curled up on his bed around his MacBook Pro. It was white, of course, to match the decor of his room. It was late, unhealthily late for anyone other than the albino and his brother.

"Near," a voice said. He hadn't heard that voice in a year.

"Color?" Near asked, looking up from his laptop.

Standing before him, translucent like mist, stood his old girlfriend. She was wearing her purple converse, skinny jeans, a grey hoodie with cat ears and a tail, and a blue cami top underneath.

He ran straight to her and embraced his love. Despite the fact that she looked like mist, he could feel her like she was normally there.

"Color, what happened, why are you here?" Near asked, the question jostling around in his head like the letter cubes in a game of Boggle.

"Near, Cassandra and I fought for control if my body. I lost, so I came here to see you again," Color explained.

"Color! I miss you so much!" Near placed his head on the course fabric of her neko hoodie. His warm tears soaked right through it and drenched Color's otherwise bare shoulder. "You were right. Matt stood up for me. We're friends now. Mello still hates me, but he doesn't hurt me anymore. I got a scholarship. I'm going to Yale!"

"Near, that's great!"

"Color, will others be able to see you?"

His lover shook her head. "Only you. I'm not going to heaven without you." She smiled. "Don't worry, there's no catch. We'll stay together forever."

"What about Cassandra?" Near asked, wiping his eyes clear of his tears of joy.

"I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. I asked one of the guards to shoot me right at the exact time I willingly broke free. An astral projection with no place to go becomes a wayward spirit. We attach ourselves to either something we love or someone we love. It's like having a guardian angel. And Near, I'm yours."

She grabbed the back of Near's head and pulled his lips into her own.

As soon as Near broke the kiss, he smiled. "And we'll be together. Forever."

_**A humungous thank you to everyone who reviewed and saw this out to the end. Thank you for putting up with my short chapters. Thank you to everyone who reviewed:**_

_**Amaya Bloodriver**_

_**PurpleRoses4Me (three times!)**_

_**twilightfen (two times!)**_

_**5Near0218**_

_**Water-Merit (three times!)**_

_**xGrellSutcliffx**_

_**torixx3 (two times!)**_

_**And thank you to all those silent readers who have helped this story get over 100 views! Thank you!**_

_**For the record, this is the first multi-chap story I've finished, so this is a HUGE accomplishment.**_

_**I know this story might not be much in the big scheme of things, but my beloved review-ers and fav-ers who are what keeps my fanfictions coming. There is a special place in my heart for everyone who took the time to read this and I thank you all very deeply.**_

_**Recently, I was reading "Dreams of Dark Chocolate and Stale Cigarettes" by the (amazing) Amour en Rayures and I think she came up with a great idea. At the end of "Dreams," she gave the title of two songs, one for each of the mains. I thought I'd do one for Nate-chan, Color-chan, and Cassie.**_

_**Near: "Prospekt's March (Poppyfields)" by Coldplay. I chose this song because, after Color basically sacrifices her freedom to keep Cassie from hurting anyone, I'm sure he doesn't want to "die under [his] own separate sky" away from Color. I think it captures the emptiness he feels after Color's incarceration pretty well.**_

_**Color: "Life in Technicolor ii" by Coldplay. I think the lyrics for this song sums up Color and Near's relationship. I imagine that the speaker is running away from something and trying to find solace in her love in order to sweep her off her feet. Once Near does this for her, she doesn't want to leave his arms. Ever. She even gets herself killed so they can be together.**_

_**Cassandra: "Iodine" by Icon For Hire. I think this one's slightly more obvious than the other two. I actually had it on repeat while writing one of Cassie's chapter. Just play it and read chapter 1. I think you'll get it.**_

_**Thank you so much for those who read this. I know I say that a lot, but writing has been something I loved since I could plot develop and write, but this is the first story I've finished. I hope you can understand how happy I am right now!**_

_**Thanks again for reading my very long author's note!**_

_**~Color-chan**_

_**P.S. How does a sister story sound?**_


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